The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-07-20

tenth to family quarreis, one.tenth to
drunkenness, gambling and other vices,
while grief or disappointed love has few
victims in the list Of suicides.
1t has been thought that severe laws re-
lating to the treatment of the body after
death would greatly reduce the number of
suicides and Plutarch relates that at one
time an unaccountable passion for suicide
seized the Milesian virgins, from which
they could not be prevented by the tears
and prayers of their friends; but a decree
being issued that the body of every young
maid who did self murder should be
drawn naked through the streets, stop
was soon put to the extraordinary frenzy.
1t is possible, therefore, that laws which
on their face appear barbarous might exert
preventive or corrective influence and
largely reduce the number of suicides.
DIR. DeWolf, of Chicago, according to re-
cent reports, is paying special attention to
the suicide question, and has furnished the
press of that city with specially interesting
figures. OF all American cities Chicago
leads in suicides. Self murder thriyes in
Chicago, and in 1886 statistics show there
were Ito cases, or one. in G. $50 OF the popu
lation. New York has one in 5000 of the
population, Boston one ia 5000, PhiIa-
delphia one in " $40, Baltimore one il
1880, and Brooklyn one in 5000.
Ih European cities, says the statisti
clan, Berlin, Vienna. Brussels, Munich and
Copenhagen, the ratio of suicides to popu-
lation is twice as high as in Chicago,
while in Hamburg the ratio is one IN 1900.
In London it is ooe in 10. 700, while in
Glasgow aud Z linburgh the ratio is one in
1900 in the former city and one in 80 900
in the latter. Taxing the entire population
of the United States the ratio of suicide is
but one in 80 of population. There are
three EuropenI countries, Spain, Russia
and Scotland. which show fewer cases of
self destruction than the United States
1t is something of mystery that any
country beneath the sun should have
fewer suicides than the United States.
Here conditions for making life desirable are
thought to be superior to all other couutriesi
here there ought to be less restitution
Here oppression such as disgraces Europe
and degrades men and women ought to be
unknown, and yet it is a fact not to be dis
guised that wretehedness, such as suggests
self murder as a relief, exists and is in
creasing. Here insanity is on the increase.
n the matter of family troubles, it is only
required to make a note of the applications
for divorce to settle al doubts. If people
would know the extent of business troubles,
the court records supply ali needed infor-
nation, and love troubles come in for a
large share of suicidal results. But, says
the Chicago statistician, the reports
OF suicides in the United States,
during the past ten years, show
that three-fourths of them have been
caused directly by drink and gambling.
Drink" says the statistician, "brings
physical ailments, restitution, grief, NOR
tification, family trouble, love trouble, in.
sanity, alteration, mental and moral weak
ness, and the whole catalogue OF suicide
causes. Gambling is often the outgrowth
of drink. as are other forms of dissipation
sure to end in disgrace and sometimes in
death by ones own hand. Religious NOR
bldness is another fruitful cause of self
destruction which does not show as con-
spicuously as it ought in the reports"
Manifestly it behooves the State to thor
oughly investigate every case of suicide
to know as certainly as practicable the
cause. Trace back the history of every
case. If insanity, why insane? The facts
would be of incalculable value in finding
and applying remedies. 1t is not agreea-
BILE to know that there IS ia the country a
suicidal mania, yearly becoming more pro-
nounced. Such facts are not creditabIe to
our civilization. They tarnish our Chris
tan escutchion. They awaken reflections
well calculated to fasten convict IONS upon
the mind, that social, bDsiness, moral aud
religious affairs need reconstruction.